I am relatively new to crochet. My grandmother taught me to knit, sew, and embroider as a child, which has served me well over the years. Later as an adult in grad school I took a beginners crochet class at Jo-Ann fabrics. Although this isn't a needlecraft my grandmother has ever cared for, I fell in love with crochet. I love how easy it is to correct your mistakes! Something I could never figure out in knitting. After that initial class I purchased quite a few crochet guide books to learn more stitches, and many pattern books on everything from afghans to amigurumi. After many hours spend browsing pattern books at craft stores, I came across Vanna's afghan books on Amazon and bought some low cost used copies. Boy am I glad I did! Now I own all of Vanna's various crochet books, but Vanna's Favorite Gift Afghans is my absolute favorite afghan pattern book (period). I have made a number of afghans out of this book, and love almost every single pattern. This is also the book I purchase for my friends and family that want to start crocheting. Now, let me get down to the details!There are a total of 45 afghans in this book and 9 other crochet "gifts". There are 18 granny squares (including wedding ring, diamond, and snowflakes motifs), 6 mile a minute, 3 panel, and 18 whole piece patterns. In terms of techniques 4 have cross stitch patterns, 2 are filet, and there are 3 ripple type afghans. Each crochet "gift" matches a corresponding afghan. They include 3 different square shaped pillows, an apple pillow, a teddy bear, a Christmas elf, an angel "lovie," a mitten set, and a booties set for women. The picture included in my review is of the afghan I am currently working on from this book.There are a few sentences introducing each afghan and suggesting people/occasions they would be perfect for. The level of difficulty is not provided for any of the patterns. Initially this made me worry, but now i like it. I didn't just skip over patterns I liked because they were beyond my experience level, so it actually served to push me past my comfort zone and learn new techniques. Like I said before, its so easy to correct your mistakes in crochet! And after all its just yarn right?! Some of the longer/ more complex patterns are continued in the back of the book, so there is that small inconvenience at times. Finally there is a section in the back of the book which reviews crochet stitches with the standard picture examples used in many crochet books.Don't hesitate to buy this wonderful crochet book. If I had to choose only once crochet book to keep from my collection, it would be this one. I promise you'll use it again and again. Happy hooking! :)